Shasta County, California
| Shasta County, California | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
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 California's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1850 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Redding |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
3,847 sq mi (9,964 km²) 3,785 sq mi (9,803 km²) 62 sq mi (161 km²), 1.62% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
163,256 44/sq mi (17/km²) |
| Website: www.co.shasta.ca.us | |
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of 2000 the population was 163,256. The county seat and by far the largest city is Redding.
Among the tourist attractions in Shasta County are Lassen Peak, Shasta Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park, the Sundial Bridge.
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History
Shasta County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Siskiyou County in 1852, and to Tehama County in 1856.
The county was named after Mount Shasta; the name "Shasta" is derived from the English equivalent for the name of an Indian tribe that once lived in the area. The name of the tribe was spelled in various ways until the present version was used when the county was established. Originally Mt. Shasta was within the county, but it is now part of Siskiyou County, to the north. Its 14,179-foot (4,322 m) peak is visible throughout most of Shasta County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,847 square miles (9,965 km²), of which, 3,785 square miles (9,804 km²) of it is land and 62 square miles (161 km²) of it (1.62%) is water. Mountains line the county on the east, north and west. The Sacramento River flows out of the mountains to the north, through the center of the county, and toward the Sacramento Valley to the south.
Cities and towns
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Cities CDPs |
Unincorporated Communities |
Adjacent counties
- Tehama County, California - south
- Trinity County, California - west
- Siskiyou County, California - north
- Modoc County, California - northeast
- Lassen County, California - east
- Plumas County, California - southeast
National protected areas
- Lassen National Forest (part)
- Lassen Volcanic National Park (part)
- Shasta-Trinity National Forest (part)
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (part)
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 163,256 people, 63,426 households, and 44,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 68,810 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.32% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 2.77% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.71% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. 5.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.7% were of German, 12.3% English, 11.2% Irish, 9.9% American and 5.2% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.0% spoke English and 3.3% Spanish as their first language.
There were 63,426 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,335, and the median income for a family was $40,491. Males had a median income of $35,959 versus $24,773 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,738. About 11.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Flora and fauna
According to Willis Linn Jepson the biota of Shasta County were not explored in a scientific manner until just before the year 1900. Up until the 1920s the Southern Pacific Railroad Company owned vast tracts of natural grasslands; however, during the 1920s the railroad sold off much of its grassland holdings, leading to the rapid clearing of brush and large scale conversion from habitat to agricultural uses.[2] Shasta County has extensive forests, which cover over one half the land area with commercially productive forest systems.[3] Common forest alliances include mixed oak woodland and mixed conifer-oak woodland as well as douglas fir forest. Common trees found include White-bark pine,[4] California Black Oak and California Buckeye.[5]
Politics
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 61.7% 41,482 | 36.2% 24,322 | 2.1% 1,408 |
| 2004 | 67.2% 52,249 | 31.3% 24,339 | 1.5% 1,143 |
| 2000 | 65.0% 43,278 | 30.3% 20,127 | 4.7% 3,139 |
| 1996 | 55.2% 34,736 | 33.1% 20,848 | 11.7% 7,377 |
| 1992 | 41.2% 28,190 | 31.6% 21,605 | 27.2% 18564 |
| 1988 | 59.4% 32,402 | 38.8% 21,171 | 1.9% 1,012 |
| 1984 | 62.2% 33,041 | 36.3% 19,298 | 1.5% 788 |
| 1980 | 58.1% 27,547 | 32.4% 15,364 | 9.5% 4,507 |
| 1976 | 45.6% 17,273 | 50.7% 19,200 | 3.7% 1,381 |
| 1972 | 46.7% 16,618 | 48.4% 17,214 | 5.0% 1,771 |
| 1968 | 40.4% 11,821 | 49.6% 14,510 | 9.9% 2,899 |
| 1964 | 32.4% 9,178 | 67.5% 19,142 | 0.1% 30 |
| 1960 | 38.9% 9,462 | 60.5% 14,691 | 0.6% 148 |
Shasta is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Shasta is part of California's 2nd congressional district, which is held by Republican Wally Herger. In the state legislature Shasta is in the 2nd Assembly district, which is held by Republican Doug LaMalfa, and the 4th Senate district, which is held by Republican Sam Aanestad.
Annual Events
- Kool April Nites (April) — A Classic Car Show
- Rodeo Week Festivities (May)
- Art Fair and Fiddler’s Jamboree (May)
- Whiskeytown Regatta (May)
- Watershed Festival (May)
- Redding Exchange Club Air Show (June)
- Shasta District Fair (June) — The County fair
- Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration (July)
- Burney Basin Days (July)
- Intermountain Fair (September)
- Big Bike Weekend (October)
- Stillwater Pow Wow (September)
Education and Housing
Colleges and universities
Shasta County has four colleges and universities:
- Shasta College, Redding – 2 year, fully accredited
- Simpson University, Redding – 4 year, fully accredited
- National University, Redding – 4 year, fully accredited
- Shasta Bible College - 4 year
High Schools and Below
- 43 Elementary Schools
- 10 Junior High Schools
- 8 High Schools
- 35 Private Schools
Housing
- Median price for a house is about $248,000.
- Median rental rate is $700/month.
Points of interest
- Lassen Peak
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Shasta Lake
- Turtle Bay Exploration Park
- Hat Creek Radio Observatory
- Iron Mountain Mine, one of the nation's most toxic waste sites
See also
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Mary C. Brinton, Victor Nee and Robert K. Merton (2001) The New Institutionalism in Sociology, Stanford University Press ISBN 0804742766, 352 pages
- ^ Forest Survey Release (1952) By California Forest and Range Experiment Station, Berkeley, California, no.13-3
- ^ George Bishop Sudworth (1908) Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope, United States Forest Service, published by the United States G.P.O., Washington DC
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Aesculus californica, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg [1]
External links
- County of Shasta official website
- Shasta Historical Society — A large database of historical county photographs
- Shasta Regional Travel and Resource Guide
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Coordinates: 40°46′N 122°02′W / 40.76, -122.04
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